It’s getting down to the wire for candidates in the Gavilan
College Board of Trustees race which
– with five candidates vying for only two Hollister seats – has
become one of the most competitive on the ballot this year.
Hollister – It’s getting down to the wire for candidates in the Gavilan College Board of Trustees race which – with five candidates vying for only two Hollister seats – has become one of the most competitive on the ballot this year.
The Gavilan College Board is structured so that trustees represent all of the communities the college serves – primarily San Benito and South Santa Clara counties. This year both Hollister trustees – longtime board member Elvira Robinson and Kent Child, who was appointed to the board last year – are up for re-election.
Three challengers have stepped up to compete for seats on the board as well; current Hollister School District Trustee Dee Brown, local mother Angie De La Cruz and Reba Jones, a retired educator for a total of five contestants. All of the challengers have said that the future of a San Benito County Gav campus was a factor in their decision to run this year.
“I don’t think this many people have ever run at once,” Robinson said. “But I think it’s because there’s a lot of interest in the college right now, and that’s a good thing.”
To make matters more interesting, it isn’t just Hollister or San Benito County voters who will be voting in the race. Though the seats represent Hollister, voters from throughout the district are free to vote on who they think should join the board.
Deb Smith of Gilroy and Laura Perry of Morgan Hill are running unopposed to keep their seats.
Perry, 55, has been on the board for 14 years, ever since she graduated with a law degree from Santa Clara University.
Smith, 52, also an incumbent, has been a Gilroy resident for 19 years. She was appointed to fill the term of former Trustee Champion, who passed away. This is her third term.
While Child is one of the incumbents in this race, this is still his first time campaigning for the office. Child says his extensive work with Gav – as a student, teacher and administrator as well as trustee – make him uniquely qualified to continue leading the college in the future.
“I’ve literally been in the trenches at all these different levels (with Gav),” he said. “I think I have a breadth of experience that I want to use on the board.”
Child has said that his priorities, if re-elected, include ensuring the district’s continued financial stability and broadening options for senior citizens looking for personal enrichment, particularly as the baby boomer generation prepares to retire.
Jones, who has taught college-level science at universities throughout the nation, also is relying on her experience working in the higher-education field to win the election. She is also interested in helping bring Gavilan to San Benito County and focusing on the financial stability of the school.
Brown, who mounted an unsuccessful campaign for the position of San Benito County Superintendent of Schools, announced over the summer that she would not seek another term with HSD, setting her sights instead on Gavilan.
De La Cruz, who is married to San Benito County Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz, said she is eager to become involved with Gav, though she was surprised at how many other candidates chose to enter the race.
